Chapter 15

The Master Plan
of
Satan the Devil

We are well acquainted with the fact that God has a Master Plan in place for the ultimate salvation of mankind.

But has it ever occurred to us that Satan also has a destructive Master Plan in place for mankind? He does and it actually began in the garden in Eden with Adam and Eve.

He was successful with the world of Noah. From there, as we have already seen, Satan’s devious and sinister master plan picked up once again about the time of the Tower of Babel and has been ongoing ever since.

This can be seen in part from the writings that God used the Apostle Paul to WARN His people regarding the never ceasing dangers that a true Christian can expect from Satan the devil:

“You must grow stronger through union with the Lord and through His mighty power. You must put on God’s full armor, so as to be able to stand up AGAINST THE DEVIL’S STRATGEMS. For our contest is not with human foes alone, but with the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers of this DARK WORLD, that is with spirit forces of evil challenging us in the heavenly contest. So you must take on God’s full armor, so as to be able to stand in the day when evil attacks you, and after finishing the contest to hold your own” (Ephesians 6:10-13, Williams Translation).

Bringing It Together

To try and bring all of this together in the context of this end-time, we need to continue trying to understand the parallels of the Elijah of some 2800 years ago and the Elijah of our time. The existing evils of each time could have ended the human race except for God’s successful use of the two Elijahs (Malachi 4:5-6).

The existing danger is more than the loss of just human life, as it was with Israel of old, for the salvation of thousands of members could very well be at stake in our time! And this is the death from which there will never be a resurrection back to life. Satan continues trying hard to bring each of the Elect into consuming fire of Gehenna (Revelation 20:15).

This is why it is so very necessary to grasp the real danger all of us are facing from this very powerful enemy whose plan and strategies continue to be at work while seeking to destroy not only the Church of God, but all of mankind just as he has been doing from the creation of mankind.

As we near the end of this age, Satan is trying even harder to make the trials of God’s Elect extremely difficult while trying each one to the very core of belief and faith (Revelation 12:12-13), many as martyrs to endure the horrible sufferings unto death during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11); a time that is now looming ever closer!

Satan and his demons know they are running out of time; they also know the judgment they will be facing!

This can be understood by what one demon said to Jesus Christ when it was commanded to come out of a person, when it asked Christ: “Have You come to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:29.

The Harvest of the Firstfruits

Satan knows he must destroy the Firstfruits that God will harvest from this present age for they are the ones who will be born again into God’s very Family, and then will be used to aid Jesus Christ during the millennium to work with His people Israel, and later the world to bring them to salvation.

It should be realized we are also running out of time. The end of this age is now very close! And before it closes there will be the prophesied horrors to befall Israel, the Church of God, and the world!

Though Satan and his demons are invisible to the human eyes, nevertheless, they are being seen by those who have been given the eyes to see by witnessing the increased activity from that dark and evil world as evidenced in the decisions of the leadership and upheld by the judiciary of Israel!

Jesus Christ Himself has WARNED many times, through His prophets, and also the apostles, in many places in Scripture, what can be expected from Satan through his human instruments.

We have already witnessed and experienced to one degree or another how Satan brought about the decimating of the then parent Worldwide Church of God through very willing instruments (II Thessalonians 2:1-3). As the result many thousands fled and formed new churches; among them were the true members who scattered in many places (Daniel 12:7; Ezekiel 34; Jeremiah 23:1-2).

In our scattered condition, Satan well realizes there is little to no help to be obtained from the very few true and faithful ministers of God for His people. And he is using the same strategy that pretty much always works for him, to first divide, and then conquer.

A Master Counterfeiter

It would be well for us to also remember that Satan is a master counterfeiter and as such fools many members into thinking he is one thing while in reality he is another; also it is thought he will move against the Church in one way, and he then moves against it in another way.

Consider the words of the apostle Paul who was yet standing in the way of Satan valiantly trying to fight off the efforts of his false ministers who were trying to take advantage of his absence while he was traveling to other Churches of God:

"But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may CUT OFF the opportunity from those who DESIRE AN OPPORTUNITY from those who desire to be REGARDED JUST AS WE ARE in the things of which they boast. FOR SUCH ARE FALSE APOSTLES, deceitful workers, TRANSFORMING THEMSELVES INTO APOSTLES OF CHRIST. And no wonder! FOR SATAN HIMSELF TRANSFORMS HIMSELF AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT! Therefore it is NO great thing IF HIS MINISTERS ALSO TRANSFORMS THEMSELVES INTO MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, whose end will be according to their works" (II Corinthians 11:12-15).

God has given His people a blessing in this end-time that His people did not fully have then or through the centuries until 1611 when the authorized Bible (better known as the King James Version) was printed and began to be made available for everyone.

During those many years the people of God had to struggle with what little they had access to from the writings of the Old Testament and the early apostles. The true people of God have been so wonderfully blessed because Jesus Christ saw to it that in addition to the Holy Scriptures, virtually all of Mr. Armstrong’s writings, sermons, and Bible studies were recorded and preserved for us to be able to use in making possible each of us to analyze what we hear from those supposed ministers of righteousness and then come to know who they really are from those writings.

For those who truly believe Mr. Herbert W Armstrong was the apostle of God, and the Elijah to come, should always keep at hand, and use as necessary any questionable teaching we hear with his last original unedited book, The Mystery of the Ages, and other writings of his as needed to study more in depth of any questionable area.

False Ministers within the Church of God

An Important Note: There is a letter posted on the internet that was written to the Trinity Bible College by an evangelist who has his own corporate Church of God, in which he wrote that right after Mr. Armstrong wrote the Mystery of the Ages he felt the need to revise it.

What he said is a deliberate deceptive lie either by him or his repeating it from one who mouthed it. Whether he did or didn’t, the wrong of it is upon himself as well for the writing of it]:

Please note this very misleading quote in a Recent Trends speech given at the Tanner Lecture Series, Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary, February 1991: “... The publication of Herbert Armstrong’s work, Mystery of the Ages, which was his last book, was an attempt on his part to catalog the major beliefs of the Church, drawing mostly on previously published material. He himself considered that work to be in need of revision almost as soon as it was published and said so on video tape which we have [My Note: if they have it, produce it; for the lie is made known when comparing his Autobiography, Volume II, Pages 640-641, and the last book he wrote before he died (published in 1985 and died in January 1986), The Mystery of the Ages, Pages X1-X111]. But then he died and we were left with the quandary then what we’d do with the book that he himself said needed revising [again, a lie]. We were already in the process of making a number of changes so we decided to pull that book from circulation. That book is no longer circulated in the Worldwide Church of God.”

With this deceptive writing in mind from an apostate evangelist, it can easily be seen those who follow him are following one who has never been converted. And they do not seem to care! They are sleeping!

With the Scriptures in mind we can better see the false ministry Satan has used and is yet using, ravenous wolves who pretend to be sheep within the Church of God; and members unsuspecting sleep! Jesus said we would know them by their fruits (meaning conduct, beliefs and teachings).

Our Daily Struggles

It becomes very difficult for members who are struggling alone while trying to see clearly through the maze of wrong teachings to find the one true Congregation Jesus Christ is now using.

It is all the more sorrowful to realize we are pretty much on our own with no human apostle to protect us from the false ministry Satan is using to try and deceive us.

Our only real protection is to KNOW THE TRUTH, LOVE THE TRUTH, CLING TO THE TRUTH, AND REMAIN IN THE LOVING PROTECTIVE CARE OF GOD’S CHIEF APOSTLE, JESUS CHRIST (Hebrews 3:1). And that can only be through diligent daily contact with our God in prayer and Bible Study.

The Scriptures above make known there should be no real TRUST in any human leader regardless of the office he may hold or the ones who are members and have no offices. You can only have complete trust in God for He ever lives and will never fail us.

At the same time God’s people are to follow human leaders who are fully on track with all of the doctrinal teachings God used His late apostle to restore within His Church; leaders who have been duly ordained into the ministry and proven to have been found faithful all through the years in every aspect, not seeking their own recognition, no lofty titles, and remaining faithful to the government of God (Ephesians 4:11-!6).

We should have learned our lessons from what we experienced over a nine-year period of time! But sadly, many thousands have not!

Yet, God made known the vital importance of remaining fully on track with His true teachings though the apostle Paul in his writing to Timothy:

"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine, continue in them, for in doing this you will SAVE BOTH YOURSELF and those who hear you" (I Timothy 4:16).

Realizing the dangers that would be confronting the people of God from many false teachers in our time trying to side-track us from the truth, the apostle Paul goes further in his instructions for all of us:

"But evil men AND IMPOSTERS will grow worse and worse, DECEIVING AND BEING DECEIVED. But AS FOR YOU, CONTINUE in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, KNOWING from WHOM you have learned them" (II Timothy 3:13-14).

Who Was Our Teacher?

Think about it! Regardless of what anyone believes—every human being on earth from creation until now only knows what they have been taught by other people.

Regarding the true teachings: The LORD God taught Adam and Eve; Jesus Christ taught the 12 apostles and also the apostle Paul.

Ask yourself—from whom did we learn the doctrinal teachings of Jesus Christ in our time? Was it any evangelist, pastor, or whoever – or was it, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong?

Granted, many did learn of those teachings from others while he was alive, but what they taught was also learned from what God revealed to Mr. Armstrong.

Mr. Armstrong was the apostle and the Elijah to come in our time. He was our teacher! There has been no other, nor has there been anyone placed by God in the office of an apostle, meaning a chief human shepherd, in our time today (Ezekiel 34:8).

While encouraging us by pointing out our calling and goal, the apostle Paul also adds to what he wrote about the doctrines:

"... God from the beginning CHOSE YOU for salvation through sanctification (setting us apart) by the Spirit and BELIEF IN THE TRUTH to which HE CALLED YOU by our (the apostles) gospel (entrusted to them), FOR THE OBTAINING OF THE GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, brethren, STAND FAST and HOLD THE TRADITIONS WHICH YOU WERE TAUGHT BY WORD OR OUR EPISTLE" (II Thessalonians 2:13-17).

Clarke Commentary “Tradition here signifies anything delivered in the way of teaching, here, obviously meaning the doctrines by Paul to them”

Tradition means something that is based on what God had already said (Galatians 1:6-9), not traditions of men—which were condemned. An example of godly traditions is that of a woman to have long hair and men are to have short hair (I Corinthians 11:14-15).

Satan Hates God’s Plan for Mankind

One should realize that Satan knows the Bible far better than any of us. He knows what God is working out here on this earth with His Master Plan for mankind that would change mortality into immortality through a new birth into Spirit Members of God’s own Family (John 3:3-8; I Corinthians 15:42-53); and then to have the promise from God to aid Him in exercising rule over the world:

“For He (God) has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying, ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him” You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things (the universe) in subjection under his feet.’ For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But NOW we do NOT see all things put under him” (Hebrews 2:5-9).

Satan hates this and is doing all that God allows him to do to destroy all of us as mortal beings before this can take place. And to accomplish his destructive purpose he is coming at us through deception, and in other ways, and last of all outright persecution.

Satan’s Evil Nature

Satan knows the only way he can be successful at all is to destroy humankind through his very nature that is within all human beings, mistakenly called, human nature (Romans 7:18-25), including the members of God’s Church. A nature that is described by the apostle Paul:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness (license to do evil), IDOLATRY, SORCERY, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, HERESIES, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who PRACTICE such things will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God" (Galatians 6:19-21).

A Desire to Worship

As it has already been noted, Satan knows that God has placed within all human beings an inherit desire to worship.

And it is religion of choice by the individual that Satan chose to use to satisfy that inborn desire of worship and turn people from God to himself.

And since he is invisible to human eyes, he would have to receive that worship through yielded human instruments; and sometimes more directly when he actually possesses human leaders, both secular and religious.

The Church by choice is well recognized by the members of the Churches of God through their observance of the many and varied Churches of this world.

Sadly, we are now seeing the same choices before the membership to choose from approximately 700 more or less of the corporate Churches of God that exist today. This could be compared to a buffet luncheon where one chooses what he or she will put on their plate.

Is it possible, that without realizing it, Satan is also receiving worship from members within these Churches – as he does from the Churches of this world (I Corinthians 10:20-21)?

An Inset –

The Wisdom of Satan

We would do well not to underestimate Satan! Though God has placed limits on him, we should remember that when he was originally created and named Lucifer, there was no greater created being:

"You were the seal of perfection, FULL OF WISDOM and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12).

Bible Note – Mr. Armstrong: "This superb spirit filled up the sum total of wisdom, perfection and beauty. He was the supreme pinnacle, the masterpiece of God’s creation, as an individually created being, the greatest one in the ability of the Almighty God to create” (Ezekiel 28:12, 17, also, MYSTERY OF THE AGES, Page 92).

Human Nature and Desire to Worship

Satan’s strategy in his Master Plan was, and continues, to combine both his nature within us along with the desire to worship and turn God against us just as he used Balaam, a false prophet, to advise Balak how to turn God’s wrath against His own people through their sin with the women in Midian.

Acting on the counsel of Balaam, Israel was drawn into terrible sin! As the result, God then killed many thousands of the Israelite men as the result:

They (Midianites) invited the people (of Israel) to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined (yoked) to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel (= ‘lord of the opening’ – another name for Nimrod)... and those who died in the plague were 24,000 (Numbers 25:2-3, 9).

NOTE: “Balaam (compare Joshua 13:22; 24:9-10; II Peter 2:15-16) was a diviner, spiritist, or medium … He was a Hittite Chieftain who established a kingdom for himself [just as the popes reign from the Vatican, a sovereign country within the city of Rome.] Pethor was a city in Mesopotamia (Deuteronomy 23:4). Baalpeor (Baal means Lord).”

NOTE: “Balaam was Nimrod’s successor. He was the greatest pagan prophet of his time – the Pontifex Maximus, the chief oracle of paganism. He was a great magician living in the land of magic. His headquarters, 1500 years before Jesus Christ, was called Pethor (St. Peters; same office), located in Mesopotamia, a place far to the north of Balaam’s country, and near the border of modern Turkey.”

Companion Bible, Numbers 25:3: “Peor was a mountain on which he worshipped (Numbers 25:18; Joshua 22:17). Baal was a Moabitish idol. And those who called (V2) the Israelites were the prostitutes necessary for his worship by others (Compare Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 11:13). Peor also means “opening”, joined = yoked and may have relation to this “worship”.”

Though Satan’s wily scheme successfully worked in bringing the LORD God’s wrath on the 24,000 Israelites who were killed because of their lust and idolatry through his willing human instrument, Balaam, who lusted for wealth and fame, but God’s wrath stopped at that point with Israel; however the Midianites paid dearly for what they did to Israel:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Harass the Midianites, and attack them, for they harassed you WITH THEIR SCHEMES (margin: tricks) BY WHICH THEY SEDUCED YOU in the matter of Peor ..." (Numbers 25:16-18).

Though the wisdom of Satan has been perverted it is still far superior to any human being and all of us would do well to realize this fact of life. The major difference is that his great wisdom is at work toward the destruction of all of mankind – and especially so with God’s Church in mind!

There is no way we of ourselves can outsmart or out-struggle Satan. It is only through having a real abiding relationship with Jesus Christ that we can win over him and remain safely in His loving protective care.

Satan will continue using every temptation that appeals to the weakness of mankind to try and seduce each one in every way possible with the effort of trying to get God to destroy His own people just as he was successful here at Peor. Continually, and always, he continues to work on the weakness of all of us to try and cause us to sin.

What better way to seduce us than to place before us the choice of an attractive religion that has incorporated within it pagan religious teaching with known and respected ministers from past years?

And just as Satan enticed Israel to sin against God by placing before them what was pleasing and attractive to them, so he does with all of us in this and other ways to cause us to move away from God’s camp and sin! And in so doing he hopes to arouse God’s wrath against us so much as to destroy us as He did those many thousands of Israelites.

We can certainly see how successful he has been in bringing about the falling away in 1995, and scattering of the flock! Also, it can be seen what he is now doing in bringing about the Great Tribulation in which many millions of the Tribes of Israel will perish!

Knowing Satan is also seeking to destroy the Church of God should give the Elect real cause for vigilance and desired closeness with Jesus Christ to protect and keep us.

The Next Step

With this in mind it is needful to consider the next step; one that is very important for us to understand for within it is grave danger that could be likened to a coiled deadly venomous snake ready to strike and inject its deadly poison within each of us! And Satan is a serpent!

This deadly serpent is to be found within the corporate Churches of God today; leaders that Satan has used to bring about their own recognition and with it his own destructive purposes (Revelation 2:20-21; 12: 9, 13, 17).

Semiramis and Jezebel

Though it may appear to be repetitious, it is needful to touch once again on the background of Semiramis for what Satan used her to do was revived fully through Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel and what they have done can be seen within the Church.

Both Semiramis and Jezebel were influential, charming, seductive, and beautiful women in real life.

Semiramis was a yielded instrument of Satan and was used by him to bring to real development his Master Plan through The Babylonian Mysteries!

Jezebel was also a yielded instrument of Satan. Through this evil woman, Satan brought to real life once again these pagan Babylonian teachings in a very destructive manner in Israel during the time of Elijah.

History makes known the Babylonian Mysteries to be a system that has had a very powerful and appealing impact on this world!

This is true whether in the western world or in other nations who worship their gods by other names.

A diabolical system that has remained intact from that time to our time today:

Encyclopedia Britannica, 11^th Edition, volume 24, page 617 SEMIARAMIS

"SEMIRAMIS (c.800 B.C.) a famous Assyrian princess, round whose personality a mass of legend has accumulated ... Semiramis was the daughter of the fish-god Atargatis of Ascalon in Syria, and was miraculously preserved by doves ... She married Onnes, one of the generals of Ninus [Nimrod], who was so struck by her bravery at the capture of Bactra that he married her after Onnes committed suicide. Ninus died [killed and dismembered by Shem], and Semiramis succeeding to his power ... The irresistible charms of Semiramis, her sexual exercises ... and other features of the legend, all bear out the view that she is primarily a form of Astarte, and so fittingly conceived as the great queen of Assyria. ..."

One should consider what was written here when one views the popes, cardinals, bishops, and priests, wearing the tall hats made in the form of a fish tail.

If you will notice in their painting of the last supper with the one that is supposed to be Jesus Christ there is a fish on his plate instead of lamb.

Satan’s Human Instruments Through Time

In brief, and for continuity, one should also consider further the background of Balaam; who he was, and what he did in his time! He figures very prominently in the history of Israel. Gentiles worshiped him just as they did Simon Magus. Both men were magicians.

SONCINO COMMENTARY Balaam. Hebrew Bileam. Probably a shortened form of “Lord of the people.” Balaam was famed throughout the East as a soothsayer (mystic, magician) whose curse is irresistible (such as magicians in Egypt, Jannes and Jambres, Exodus 7:11-12; II Timothy 3:8). [This is why Balak hired him to come and curse Israel, Numbers 22:1-6].

“Pethor. Pitru, a town in Mesopotamia, mentioned in Babylonian and Egyptian inscriptions. It was from the land of magic that the great magician was brought.”

A Soothsayer = A diviner or magician. Mediums replenished from an evil spirit (Isaiah 2:6). One who claims to have supernatural insight and to be able to foretell events.”

Very soon, another man, the false prophet will come on the world scene and will perform magical feats that will both captivate and enrapture the religious world; they will worship at his feet (Revelation 13:11-18).

With this story flow in mind and the terrible teachings and problems associated with these dedicated people of Satan the devil, and their worship of him, we now need to consider how the same teachings and worship of the devil entered the true Church of God— and also the warnings from Jesus Christ directed at all who are yet following this diabolical leader through deception.

To be continued—

Your servant and friend,

Don Billingsley

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